Chapter 11: Got Scammed?

[Wow, so much stuff!]

Tu You yawned and watched Sang Chu organize the things in her storage space after sorting through them.

After the permissions were synced, Tu You could see everything Sang Chu had in her storage.

[Some of these can regrow, so they don’t really count. I have wood-type abilities, so maybe I can try to speed up the growth of these plants when we get back.]

Tu You: [Then I’ll hurry back!]

[No rush, I’m going to check out the water source first.]

Sang Chu stood up and walked toward a nearby water source shop.

The shop was run by an older couple. As soon as they saw Sang Chu, they squeezed out a smile and greeted her enthusiastically.

“Looking for a water source, miss? Take a look at these water containers—top quality, all of them! See this one? It’s made with the latest new energy stone, can control water flow, and holds up to 140 cubic meters.”

Sang Chu frowned slightly. The middle-aged woman immediately grabbed her hand. “If you don’t like what my husband recommended, why not look at this one? It’s an old-fashioned model, cheaper, though it doesn’t hold as much. But it’s affordable! And when you run out of water, you can just buy more!”

Sang Chu pulled her hand back, a bit uncomfortable. “How much is the new energy one? And how much is the old-fashioned one?”

The old man glanced at his wife and said smoothly, “This new energy container uses the latest solar stone, very rare! And don’t be fooled by its small size—it holds 140 cubic meters. It’s a great deal at only eighty-eight star coins!”

Sang Chu: “And the old-fashioned one?”

The woman beamed. “The old one doesn’t hold as much, maybe twenty or thirty cubic meters, and it can’t control the water flow. But it’s cheap—just ten star coins, and it’s yours!”

Sang Chu didn’t reply. She just searched for other water source shops in the city, but it seemed this was the only one.

Tu You hovered in front of Sang Chu, knowing others couldn’t see him. He floated right up to the couple and took a look. Huh, turns out this was a black market shop!

[Ah Chu, this shop is shady! They’re scamming people! Those new energy containers—they can’t even sell those!]

Sang Chu frowned: [What did you see?]

[I saw their inventory. They only have three new energy containers, but they’ve marked up the price at least tenfold!]

Sang Chu: [So the new energy containers are real, but they’re way overpriced.]

Tu You nodded: [That’s right.]

Sang Chu fell silent.

They’re real, but once sold, they’re swapped out for something else, and no one seems to care. This shop is still the only water source shop in the city—there must be someone backing them.

Sure enough, there are shady people everywhere!

The woman saw Sang Chu wasn’t speaking and couldn’t help but urge, “Little sister, are you buying or not? This new energy container is almost sold out! Once it’s gone, that’s it!”

“I’ll take an old-fashioned one for now.”

“Alright, wait here. I’ll get it for you. Husband, take care of the register.”

The woman called out, and a young man nearby responded, “Sure thing, miss!”

He led Sang Chu to the right, while the woman unlocked a cabinet, went inside, and started rummaging around.

“Another sucker. Let’s see what I can find for you this time!”

Tu You watched the dishonest woman and wished he could bite her.

[Ah Chu, even the old-fashioned ones are a scam! She’s probably giving you a container with no clean water inside!]

Hearing Tu You’s angry voice, Sang Chu replied: [Forget it. Didn’t you say I have a small storage space? If I need water, I can just put my little bucket inside and fill it up. The container isn’t that big—once we’re out of the city, you can help me.]

Tu You’s ears perked up: [Right! Why didn’t I think of that? Once she leaves, I’ll grab some stuff. If all the containers in the barrel are old, I’ll just take the ones on the shelf!]

[Yeah, you can take some old ones too. The more containers, the better. The dorms have big water tanks, so after cleaning them, you can fill them up. Those new energy ones are too expensive anyway!]

Tu You couldn’t help but laugh: [I thought everyone here was nice!]

[Good people do honest business. I’m happy to pay for that. But if they’re going to scam me over an old water container, why shouldn’t I steal from them?]

Tu You: [Yeah, I’ll wait until you’re done and then take some, so you don’t get caught up in it.]

[Okay.]

After a while, the old man finished up. When Sang Chu tried to check the container the woman handed her, she grabbed Sang Chu’s hand tightly.

“Miss, it’s getting dark. My husband and I need to pick up our kid from school. The container is fine—no need to check. You should head home, too. We’re closing up.”

Sang Chu protested, “But if I can’t check, how do I know the water inside is clean?”

“It’s clean, absolutely! We’ve run this shop for years. You think we’d scam you over a few star coins? I need to lock up now.”

The woman pushed Sang Chu out the door, then her husband locked up, and the two of them walked off in the opposite direction.

Expressionless, Sang Chu walked back toward the mercenary dorm under everyone’s gaze.

She checked the container. The inside was covered in green moss, and the water was murky—who knows how long it had been sitting there. Sang Chu felt her mood sink.

[Tu You, don’t take the containers with moss inside—they’re impossible to clean. Only take the clean ones.]

Tu You: [No way! That’s so shady! They’re selling containers that can’t even be cleaned!]

He had thought they were just a bit dirty from sitting too long, but hadn’t expected them to be full of stagnant water!

The containers couldn’t be cleaned!

[Alright, Ah Chu, wait a bit. I’ll be done soon. They’re not coming back, so I’ll grab some stuff!]

[Okay, I’ll head back to the mercenary dorm. Let me know when you’re done.]

[Got it!]

“Honey, when do you think that girl will realize she bought a useless container? Hahaha~”

“Who cares? Ten star coins is enough for a good meal tonight!”

“Yeah, she was dumb enough to buy it. Without official channels, she can’t get good stuff anyway. Should I really go home now?”

“Go ahead, I’ll finish up here and head home.”

As Tu You saw them leave, he quickly stuffed everything from the shelves into his own storage and quietly slipped away."